Larkin Speaks on Trade Request, Camp

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin said Thursday he does not regret asking the club for a trade, spoke publicly for the first time since the request went public, and sat the first day of training camp with an upper-body injury from an off-ice workout. NHL.com's Nicholas J. Cotsonika carried the presser from Detroit: Larkin is no longer captain after six seasons with the C, interim general manager Shawn Horcoff called the talks day by day, and the Wings open Oct. 2 against the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena.

Larkin, 30, has spent his entire 11-season NHL career in Detroit and ranks 10th in franchise history with 643 points. The Red Wings have missed the playoffs for 10 straight seasons, the longest drought in club history. That drought is the backdrop fans already know. Thursday was about whether Larkin still wants out, and he would not say whether the request still stands or whether reconciliation is possible.

What Larkin would and would not say

Larkin said asking for a trade as captain carried consequences and that he understands why the captaincy decision followed. He declined to detail what triggered the request after last season, saying he may never be ready to go there publicly. He also said he never meant for the request to become public and does not regret how the situation unfolded from his side. Teammates heard from him privately. Forward J.T. Compher said the room will ask the same of Larkin it asks of every player: help the group win.

Horcoff said the club has had good talks with Larkin and will take it day by day while keeping details private. Coach Todd McLellan would not invent a distraction plan either, only that Larkin still has teammate support and wants to earn trust back with players and staff.

Camp without the C, opener Oct. 2

Larkin's upper-body issue kept him off the ice for day one. He said he wishes he could be skating because that is where actions follow words. Fantasy drafts that still treat Larkin as Detroit's 1C need the next practice reports before locking him into opening-night ice time. The Wings announced they will start the season without a captain. Oct. 2 against the Rangers is the first hard public stage for how the building reacts if he is in the lineup.

No regret on the request. No captaincy. Day-by-day hockey in Detroit until someone stamps a different ending.